Oregon wildfire grows rapidly; structures threatened

PORTLAND, Ore. – A new blaze in a wildfire-plagued area of Oregon nearly tripled in size overnight.

The fire near the town of Dufur in north-central Oregon spread to more than 23 square miles by Thursday morning.

The Oregon State Fire Marshal’s Office says dozens of structures are threatened – some have burned – and at least 400 people have been told to evacuate.

The fire caused by humans rather than lightning began Wednesday afternoon. By nightfall, Gov. Kate Brown declared it a conflagration, which authorizes the Oregon fire marshal to mobilize resources from around the state to protect homes.

It’s the third major wildfire to the hit the area this summer. One scorched 125 square miles and killed a tractor operator.

After an unusually warm July, firefighters caught a break with cooler temperatures Thursday.